TAYLORVILLE, Ill. (WAND) - A woman who battled drug and alcohol addiction for decades said a Taylorville program helped turn her life around. 

Amanda Buschon said her struggles with addiction began at the age of 15, when she would use marijuana and alcohol. She would end up in rehab at 16 and go in and out of it several more times. 

Things seemed better in adulthood, as Buschon kicked those habits for four years. But things turned south in January of 2019, when she went from marijuana to meth. 

"I was very lost," Buschon said. "I had lost everything and I didn't have much to fight for at the time."

She then turned to a different program - Safe Passage out of Taylorville - for guidance. The no-judgment program seeks to help addicts without any fear of legal action. 

Coordinator Denise Evans told WAND-TV said the program, which began in June of 2019, has nearly 200 participants involved. About 75 percent of the people involved stay sober. 

Buschon was skeptical and afraid of entering the program, as it is housed through the Taylorville Police Department. She wouldn't let that fear stop her, however, and enrolled.

Another hurdle arrived, however, and she ended up relapsing and entering the program a second time in August of 2019. 

That second attempt was when things began to work out. Now, the mother of two is in a far better place and is grateful for what Safe Passage did for her. 

"I don't know if I would be dead, alive, or where I would be," Buschon said. "I was going down a very bad path at the time."

Safe Passage is fully funded by donations and does not turn people away. A woman from Oklahoma City is going through the program. 

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